Bay City Public Schools Sample Mentor Texts to Teach K-2 Opinion Reading and Writing

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1 Bay City Public Schools Sample Mentor Texts to Teach K-2 Opinion Reading and Writing By using mentor texts, the reader can virtually position him or herself to sit beside the author and study how the text is constructed and how it communicates. It is a powerful teaching and learning strategy --The Writing Thief, Ruth Culhum Laural Triebel 2016

2 Sample Kindergarten-2 nd Grade Opinion Mentor Texts The mentor texts listed below are samples of picture books that could be used in the classroom when teaching students how to write an opinion. Using a specific set of questions to analyze the craft within a mentor text can open students to new ideas to consider in their own writing. The questions/prompts listed on the following page assists students with comprehension, analyzing and evaluating opinion pieces as well as developing opinion writing skills. Opinion Texts Red is Best by Kathy Stinson I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman In this book, little Kelly plays her opinion against her mother's practical advice. Kelly loves red and her belongings that are red. She wants to wear the red mittens because they make better snowballs, and the red boots because they take bigger steps and in the red cup, she tells her mother, juice tastes better. Alex just has to convince his mom to let him have an iguana, so he puts his arguments in writing. He promises that she won't have to feed it or clean its cage or even see it if she doesn't want to. I Wanna New Room by Karen Kaufman The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt As in I Wanna Iguana (2004), this story about a child tired of sharing a room with his pesky little brother is told through letters and illustrated in energetic, cartoon-style illustrations. Alex pleads for his own room and complains about his little brother. Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! Each crayon has their own opinion why they shouldn t color anymore. What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best? Hey, Little Ant by Philip M. Hoose What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? What if your friends saw you hesitate? That s what happens in this funny, thought-provoking book. Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Meet Spoon. He's always been a happy little utensil. But lately, he feels like life as a spoon just isn't cutting it. He thinks Fork, Knife, and The Chopsticks all have it so much better than him. But do they? And what do they think about Spoon? A book for all ages, Spoon serves as a gentle reminder to celebrate what makes us each special.

3 One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck and Yasmin Ismail Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin Don t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems Sophia tries varied techniques to get the giraffe she wants more than anything in this playfully illustrated story about the nuances of negotiation. Sophia has one true desire for her birthday. But she has Four Big Problems in the way: Mom, Dad, Uncle Conrad...and Grand-mama. Will her presentations, proposals, and pie charts convince them otherwise? Turns out, all it takes is one word. Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears: Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes... When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. LaRue for Mayor: Letter from the Campaign Trail by Mark Teague Canine everyman Ike LaRue returns to take on the political machine in this gleeful tale, the third of Mark Teague's best-selling, award winning DEAR MRS. LARUE series. Ike finds his civil liberties at risk when Hugo Bugwort, the hard line mayoral candidate, promises to crack down on free-roaming, fun-loving dogs Cats Vs. Dogs National Geographic Readers Earrings! by Judith Viorst Chocolate or vanilla? Creamy peanut butter or crunchy? Cats or dogs? On some matters in life, every kid must take a stance. Ever since the first youngster in history had a pet, cats vs. dogs has been a hotly debated issue at recesses and lunch tables worldwide. Which one's better? Smarter? This reader presents the facts in fun and informative fashion. Kids will love the stimulating text as they decide the answer to this question for themselves. She wants them. She needs them. She loves them. Earrings! What won t a girl do to finally get her ears pierced? Find out in this delightful tale that perfectly captures the yearnings of a young girl in desperate need of beautiful, glorious earrings!

4 Alexander, Who s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judith Viorst The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini Alexander is not going to leave his best friend Paul. Or Rachel, the best babysitter in the world. Or the Baldwins, who have a terrific dog named Swoozie. Or Mr. and Mrs. Oberdorfer, who always give great treats on Halloween. Who cares if his father has a new job a thousand miles away? Alexander is not --Do you hear him? He Means it! -- going to move. Alexander's back, facing another of childhood's trials and tribulations with Judith Viorst's trademark humor and keen sense of what's important to kids. When Elizabeth campaigns to find the right pet, her family imagines some hair-raising possibilities, until Doug comes along who is, without a doubt, the most unusual, perfect pet of all. All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan Within the sanctuary of a loving family, baby Eli is born and, as he grows, "learns to cherish the people and places around him, eventually passing on what he has discovered to his new baby sister, Sylvie: 'All the places to love are here... no matter where you may live. My Brother Dan s Delicious by Steven L. Layne Joey, left at home alone one night, sees and hears strange things, but he has the superior wit to convince any and all possible monsters that his brother, Dan, is the better choice for dinner. Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Is it a duck or a rabbit? Depends on how you look at it.

5 Groundhog Gets a Say by Pamela Curtis Swallow A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black There s so much more to being a groundhog than just putting on a show once a year, and Groundhog has decided it s time to tell the world the Hog truth. With the help of a few of his fans, Groundhog is ready to tell everything about himself, from how loud he can whistle (loud), to how fast he can run (not fast), to how many things he uses his teeth for (a lot). Groundhog may be full of himself, but chances are good that, by the end of this book, you ll agree he s pretty wonderful! Could anything possibly be more fun than a pig parade!? You wouldn't think so. But you'd be wrong. A pig parade is a terrible idea. Pigs hate to march, refuse to wear the uniforms, don't care about floats, and insist on playing country music ballads. Those are just some of the reasons. And trust me, this hysterical book has plenty more! My Brother Dan's Delicious By Steven Layne Joey, left at home alone one night, sees and hears strange things, but he has the superior wit to convince any and all possible monsters that his brother, Dan, is the better choice for dinner.

6 Don t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Williems When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place-a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles, and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate. In his hilarious picture book debut, popular cartoonist Mo Willems perfectly captures a preschooler's temper tantrum. Websites with Reviews The links to the left provide teachers with other resources that can be mentors for opinion writing.

7 Sample K-2nd Opinion Mentor Text Questions/Prompts Check grade level reading/writing standards when choosing which questions/prompts to address. Create additional prompts/questions based on the standards for your grade level. To answer the questions or address the prompts, students should use evidence from the text to support their answers. This can be done by drawing, writing, or orally responding. Sample Questions: Can you tell how the author feels about the topic? How? How does the author introduce the piece? Does the introduction capture your attention? If so, how? If not, what other ideas could the author try? What reasons does the author use to help make their opinion? How did the author close the piece? If the closing doesn t convince you to feel the same way the author does, what other ideas could the author try? How is the opinion stated or shown? What reasons are given or shown for the opinion? Are there other reasons or details the author could include? What key words and phrases are used to express the opinion of the author or characters? Sample Prompts: I didn t like (something about the character, solution, setting, etc.) because I admire (name of character) for..because If I could talk to (name of character), I would say A better title for this book would be because I think the main thing the writer was trying to say was I agree/disagree with the writer about I would/wouldn t recommend this book to a friend because The most important thing about this book is Resource questions were adapted from: Boyles, N. (2004). Constructing meaning: Through kid friendly comprehension strategy instruction. Gainsville, FL: Maupin House. Owocki, G. (2013). The Common Core writing book, K-5: Lessons for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.